abacus
pronunciation
How to pronounce abacus in British English:
UK [ˈæbəkəs]
How to pronounce abacus in American English:
US [ˈæbəkəs]
-
- Noun:
- a tablet placed horizontally on top of the capital of a column as an aid in supporting the architrave
- a calculator that performs arithmetic functions by manually sliding counters on rods or in grooves
Word Origin
- abacus
- abacus: [17] Abacus comes originally from a Hebrew word for ‘dust’, ’ābāq. This was borrowed into Greek with the sense of ‘drawing board covered with dust or sand’, on which one could draw for, among other purposes, making mathematical calculations. The Greek word, ábax, subsequently developed various other meanings, including ‘table’, both in the literal sense and as a mathematical table.But it was as a ‘dust-covered board’ that its Latin descendant, abacus, was first used in English, in the 14th century. It was not until the 17th century that the more general sense of a counting board or frame came into use, and the more specific ‘counting frame with movable balls’ is later still.
- abacus (n.)
- late 14c., "sand table for drawing, calculating, etc.," from Latin abacus, from Greek abax (genitive abakos) "counting table," from Hebrew abaq "dust," from root a-b-q "to fly off." Originally a drawing board covered with dust or sand that could be written on to do mathematical equations. Specific reference to a counting frame is 17c. or later.
Example
- 1. In english we call it an abacus .
- 2. The chinese invented the abacus ; india invented the binary and the decimal systems .
- 3. When students mastered the abacus , they developed more confidence in their ability to do math .
- 4. China , which invented the abacus as we know it today , should tell its statisticians to fix theirs .
- 5. Such fine calibrations may date back to the use of the abacus , and to an old chinese convention that assumes a 360-day year for the purpose of reckoning interest payments .